1970 Jaguar E-Type S2 2+2 FHC

Offered from a private collection is this very well-presented and mechanically sound LHD Jaguar E-Type S2 2+2.

This really is a very good example of a 2+2 E-Type, having been restored and maintained to a very high standard by owners who had the passion, the time and the depth of pocket to do this fine car justice.

Built in 1970 for the US market, the car dutifully entertained its US owners for 45 years, during which time it had a fistful of dollars (followed by a few dollars more?) thrown at it by people who clearly knew what they were doing.

Eventually, the car arrived in the UK in 2015, where it was fortunate enough to have two successive owners prepared to spend time and money on it as and when required.

The vendor, who curates and refreshes his extensive classic car collection with a great deal of care and knowledge, is only selling as he wants to add a few cars that have long been on his bucket list and he needs to make some room.

One of these coveted vehicles, by the way, is a Bond Bug (no, really) – a car denied him as a teenager by his mother, who felt certain that it would be the death of him. Well, caveat emptor, etc.

This authentic, honest, totally useable and utterly lovely 2+2 E-Type starts, goes and stops every bit as handsomely as its appearance suggests.

There are no groans, sighs, grunts, pops, rattles or squeaks to speak of.

This is a properly screwed together and thoroughly sorted example.

The red paintwork has a very high quality of finish and, in general, it’s all lustrous and rich, with a good depth of shine. The vendor believes that the car was resprayed in the US probably around 8 years ago, and he has spent over £1000 himself on getting a few areas of the paintwork up to scratch during his ownership.

The panels are uniformly free of any notable dinks, dents, dimples, creases, chips, scrapes, scratches or folds. The shut lines and door gaps are as tight and even as anything the British car industry could achieve in 1970.

There are few signs of stone chips or road rash, even on the valances, below the sills and the other usual places.

The chromework is, in the main, in very good condition, and is largely free of the kind of spotting and foxing you’d expect to find on a car that’s 51 years old.

It’s the same age as Melania Trump, after all, and it’s probably had less work done.

All five wheels are in good order, save for a few very minor nicks here and there and some light corrosion on a few spokes, and are wearing tyres with plenty of life left in them.

There is a bit of flaking to the paintwork underneath the o/s headlamp. The rubber seal that runs along the underside of the passenger door would probably thank you if you coaxed it back more snugly into its designated groove.

This is a highly original and very intact interior. And it’s in notably good condition wherever you rest your gaze.

Wearing its 51 years remarkably lightly, it is a lightly patinated and beautifully preserved place to spend some time.

The leather upholstery is in first class condition. It was originally beige but, between them, the vendor and the previous owner refitted the car with retrimmed and refurbished black upholstery which looks great and is both comfortable and supportive.

The carpets are new and look it. The door cards are in good condition, as is the headlining, save for a slightly baggy few inches at the o/s rear. The dashboard, dials, gauges, levers and switches all look fine as does the glorious wooden steering wheel. The top of the dashboard and any vinyl surrounds are uncracked, unfaded and unblemished.

The rear seats are in top condition too, as you might expect of seats that are really only of use to the very young, the very small, the very flexible or the very masochistic.

The floor pans are new so, unsurprisingly, they show no signs of rust once the carpets are lifted. There is some superficial rust dust on the chassis sections to which the floor pans are fixed.

The one area of rust we’ve found that will need looking at is inside the rubber seal at the interior intersection of the ‘A’ pillar and the underside of the dashboard on the driver’s side.

The cover on the door pull on the driver’s side is a little loose and frayed, and the plastic behind the door lever on the passenger’s side is split.

As far as we can ascertain all the dials and instruments work as intended, save for the interior light and map reading light (which we think may have been disconnected in order to prevent battery drain).

The boot, which is in good nick, is largely filled by the hulking presence of a full-sized spare wheel - which is also in good nick.

The undersides of the car, including the new floor pans of course, appear to be solid and free of anything other than superficial rust and general road grime. The sills appear sound and there is a good coating of Waxoyl/bitumen in evidence everywhere.

The engine bay is clean and tidy and displays that glorious 4.2 litre engine to splendid effect. Everything is in its right and proper place and there is no sign of any leakage, seepage or weepage.

The inside edges of the bonnet closure have the odd chip here and there, but that’s entirely to be expected and is consistent with normal use on a car that actually gets used for, well, you know, driving.

A typed letter found under the spare wheel by the current owner gives some information about the money that was spent on the car in the US (we know from this letter that at least $19,000 was spent on restoring it and the vendor feels that this expenditure probably occurred around 8 years ago).

The letter also tells us that the car’s last American owner sold it after breaking his ankle and finding that the restorative surgery left him unable to operate the clutch pedal.

Ouch. In every sense.

The current vendor is an avid car enthusiast and collector and has owned the vehicle for almost 4 years but actually tried to buy it 6 years ago when it first came to the UK from the USA.

He was beaten to that sale by heavy traffic on the motorway and returned home empty-handed and heavy-hearted having exchanged business cards with the successful buyer in the hope that if it ever came up for sale again, his name would be at the top of the list.

The successful buyer on that occasion was, as luck would have it, a retired engineer from Jaguar’s Browns Lane site.

A lot of documented work was carried out on this car during his watch, including to the radiator, fan and cooling system.

A couple of years later, the then owner found himself the fortunate beneficiary of a sizeable inheritance. This meant that he could fulfill his lifetime ambition of owning a Series 1 Roadster.

So, he stuck to his word and made a call to our vendor, who jumped at the chance to finally buy the car.

The vendor then set about methodically improving, replacing, refurbishing, tweaking and fettling anything that needed it, regardless of expense. He spent at least £5-6K (many receipts for this work are attached) on items like new floor pans, upgrading certain areas of paintwork, and re-trimming seats and carpets.

He also overhauled the braking and suspension systems, and ensured that the car was in optimal mechanical condition. The car has been serviced fairly recently and has a brand new battery.

He tells us that the car now runs perfectly and that, before lockdown, he regularly drove the car on 100 mile journeys to and from his second home in Anglesey.

It doesn’t have a current MoT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have the car re-MoT’d at the earliest.

The cost of an MoT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

This is your chance to buy a very well-restored and maintained, solid, sorted, ready-to-go Jaguar E-Type S2 2+2 coupe for, probably, a lot less than you would have had to pay only six months ago.

Because there’s no denying that the market has softened a little recently.

And remember, when the market softens, investors and collectors default to what they know – and everyone loves and knows the E-Type.

Which should make it a canny buy in the long-term when the world starts to make its way back to normal and investors realise just how little their money is earning in interest these days.

In the meantime, here’s a short list of some of the people who have owned an E-Type.

Frank Sinatra, Britt Ekland, George Best, Charlton Heston, George Harrison, Tony Curtis, Steve McQueen, Elton John, Adam Faith, Bruce McLaren, Jackie Stewart, Donald Campbell, Roy Orbison, Sid James, Brigitte Bardot and…..[your name goes here].

Go on. You know you want to.

We’re confident to offer this vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £32,000 - £42,000.

Inspection is always encouraged (within government guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.